On this half of the Taipei Trippin series, we explore more of the many unique things Taipei is known for – themed restaurants! This post will feature three – Hello Kitty Sweets, Barbie Restaurant and Modern Toilet Restaurant. Be prepared for a picture heavy post of girly cuteness and some rather graphic images of poop.

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Before we begin, here are some pictures of the scene outside Amba Boutique Hotel.

I remember quite distinctly that the locals refer to cabs here as Little Yellow in direct translation. Because cabs here are only in yellow. How cute! And next is a picture of a very old building (I’m assuming). I love how run down it looks but is still functioning and placed in the middle of the busy street.

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Hello Kitty Sweets

It took us a long while to find my beloved Hello Kitty Sweets because it was almost impossible to navigate around with no street signs! I thought the girls were gonna give up on me! But thank goodness we found it tucked into a narrow lane.

If you didn’t know, I was a Hello Kitty fanatic some years back but that craze wore off as I got older. This trip to Taipei reignited my wish to eat in a Hello Kitty Restaurant which I knew was in Taipei. I didn’t know then that I would ever be able to come to Taipei and what more to travel so dining here was not only an experience but somewhat of a self achievement, a wish I fulfilled for my younger self.

Address:
No 90, Section 1 Daan Road, Daan District, Taipei
Tel: +886 2 2711 1132

Opening Hours:
1130 – 2200 (Daily)

Major ‘act cute’ peace sign pose with the Hello Kitty Sweets staff there, couldn’t help it (how can you not?). We were famished by the time we got to the restaurant but I was a little heart broken to eat Kitty’s face (aaarrrggghhh!!!). I was quite satisfied with our lunch however I couldn’t really recall if it all tasted good, I’m not ashamed to admit I came here for the soul purpose of spamming you with Hello Kitty pictures and that I was too hungry to judge (everything tastes good when you’re hungry).

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Barbie Cafe

The next restaurant we headed to belongs to one of the biggest icon I’ve had growing up – Barbie. Its situated fairly near to Hello Kitty Sweets on an open street. I was ecstatic to see its sign in all its pink glory and Barbie’s signature head. As you can tell, I could barely contain my excitement.

Address:
No 128, Section 4 Zhongxiao East Road, Daan District, Taipei
Tel: +886 2 2752 8711

Opening Hours
1130 – 2200 (Weekday)
1130 – 0200 (Weekend)

I was in a daze from the minute I stepped in. Its like if I died and went to heaven, this is how it’d look like. Looking at Barbie smile at me from every corner of the wall reminded me of my childhood dreams of opening a Barbie Gallery and how deliriously happy I would’ve been as a child if this place had existed earlier for me to have my birthdays here. I can proudly say I had a massive collection of about forty Barbies, one Skipper, 3 Kens, two Kellies, a beach house, a fully furnished mansion, outfits that I would change them in and out from and a pink jeep. My heart glowed at this moment. Its been a long while since I’ve had flashbacks of my childhood where my worries were mostly of not wanting to do my math homework and what outfits should my Barbies wear.

I didn’t open my Barbie Gallery but at least I got to eat in one.

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After all that eating, we decided to do some shopping to burn all the excess calories from the cakes and sweets.

I noticed Taipei didn’t just have themed restaurants, they had themed boutiques and shops too! Makes it easier to shop when you’re looking for something in particular, for example eyelashes, you’d have a stall dedicated to just selling eyelashes! Looking for stuffed toys? They have one in almost every animal, colour and size! I was really surprised to see the male changing room had dicks and vaginas plastered in its interior. Again, not something you would see in fairly conservative Singapore.

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Modern Toilet

I thought it would be fun to pay this place a visit and it would be a heck of an experience. It serves food in a makeshift toilet bowls and urinals and coffee and chocolate ice cream in a form of poop. I was afraid it would be hard to find from reading reviews on it but was pleasantly surprise to learn that it was very near to our hotel.

Address:
No 7, Lane 50, Xi-Ning South Road, Wanhua District, Taipei
Tel: +886 2 2311 8822

Opening Hours:
1130 – 2200 (Daily)

It felt like I was in an actual toilet having to sit on an actual toilet bowl with showers complete with toilet tiles and lighting while you eat. I wonder what was going through their minds when they were brainstorming ideas for this. I ordered curry to make my experience truly worthy of its purpose. You would never look at curry and chocolate ice-cream the same way again.

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To end this post, I would like to say that I ended up really enjoying my time in Taipei and got to tick some of my wishes from my Bucket List. It was a truly unique experience and I have my company to thank for giving me this opportunity. I guess I’m pretty darn lucky to be fit enough to travel again after my operation in June, this I can only thank God. I hope I will blessed with more travels, happiness and more exciting blog posts ahead.

More from the Taipei Trippin Series: